Designed by the architects, Bernard Tschumi and Michael Photiadis, the building is a rather clever feat of engineering. Not only is it a very modern building using light and motion cleverly, it is also built in an earthquake zone and on top of that it wasn’t possible to allow it to have normal foundations.

When clearing the site, ancient ruins were uncovered. It would have been a sad state of affairs if these had just been concreted over, so they were incorporated into the building. This led to the tricky problem of foundations. Huge pillars were sunk into areas that archaeologists had excavated to ensure there were no remains. I guess it was lucky that part of the site had previously had military bunkers on, so no remains were found there, and this area at least offered a solid base for the foundations.

The museum is an interesting synthesis of the ancient and modern. It sits on an ancient road that led up to, affords wonderful views of and houses priceless ancient sculpture from the Acropolis. But it is a state-of-the-art modern building with a modern take on museology. As the Makrygianni excavations so elegantly demonstrate – its foundations are ancient but its approach is modern.

And like many modern things it’s controversial. Perhaps the most controversy it has caused is that it is a monument to a request the Greek government has been making for many years. They haven’t just built the museum to house their collection but also to try to convince the British government to return the Elgin Marbles – portions of a sculptured frieze that comes from the Parthenon temple. The top floor of the new museum, the part with the giant glass walls that give you the most fantastic views of the Acropolis, is home to an exact replica of the 160m-long frieze. 36 panels are originals – the rest are paster casts – a glaring challenge to the British government. The panels that the British Government have now have an interesting new home. The only question is will they get to see it?

Saturday dawned bright and rainless and we cycled the few miles into Oxford to join the tourists. Oxford is choc full of museums and sadly I just didn’t have enough time to visit all of them. I spent a very pleasant day in the Ashmolean Museum and got to enjoy two of their free tours. You can go on a general tour of the museum at 11am and then a more in-depth look at one or two pieces at 2.15pm. They have an excellent dining room on the top floor of the museum where I stopped for a cup of tea. You don’t get much of a view but you do get a breath of fresh air! In between tours I popped into the Pitt Rivers museum to see the oddest collection of curiosities – from model houses to animal skeletons and gruesome shrunken heads.

Tim, Jon and I then wandered the streets of Oxford taking in the colleges, the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, the Sheldonian Theatre, the rose garden outside the Botanical Gardens and the two great rivers that flow into the city – Cherwell and Thames – complete of course with rowers.

After nipping home for a quick supper and a catch up on the footie results for the boys – we cycled back into Oxford and went to the Eagle and Child. Famous as the place where the Inklings met it was full of people but we managed to get a table and three pints – after all it was Saturday night!

We then moved on to the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica in the Barberini Palace which had some nice stuff including three Caravaggios, two El Grecos and a portrait by Raphael. The sun was beautifully hot so after admiring the ceiling fresco of the last huge room I escaped to soak up some sun by the fountain.

On the way to the fourth museum we spotted the Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia so we popped in there to have a look. It’s a nice little museum and had a special Caravaggio exhibition on at the moment that we didn’t have time to go in and see.

Last by by no means least we went to the Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Altemps. The collection is housed in a lovely Renaissance Palace which has an atmospheric courtyard with a fountain and statues dotted about. They are digging up the left of the courtyard to reveal Medieval remains of buildings that once stood on the spot. The collection itself is remarkably odd – it’s mostly ancient statues that have been fixed up or had the wrong heads stuck on the wrong body. It was a gentle end to a busy day and we stood on the balcony underneath some lovely fescos and breathed in the scent of orange blossom.

Of course a day in Rome wouldn’t be complete with a visit to a church or two and as we’d done four museums it seemed only fair to visit four churches. Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri is a converted Roman baths and the designs for it were done by Michelangelo. Sadly only his plan for the vaulted ceilings were used. Chiesa di San Luigi dei francesi houses three Caravaggios in St Matthew’s Chapel but we had to fight through the crowds to see them. Basilica di Sant’Agostino in Campo Marzio has the Madonna of the Pilgrims by Caravaggio which is really splendid and a Rapheal fresco on one of the pillar. Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone is a hugh Baroque construction and was designed by Borromini. It overlooks the Piazza Navona and a fountain designed by rival architect Bernini. The Plazza at seven was full of artists, street musicians and entertainers. Tourists sit out on tiny tables with glasses of wine and drink in the atmosphere. Handsome policemen in blue uniforms stand about but it doesn’t stop the men selling their somewhat suspicious handbags and sunglasses from the pavement to anyone who has a few Euros burning a hole in their pocket.

The queues outside St Peter’s Basilica were too much for my feet and I sought refuge in Castroni – where I stood by the bar and had an un-classy and childish 1pm cappuccino. The shop is delightful grotto of edible treasures.

You can hardly miss the Mausoleo di Adriano or the Castel S. Angelo la Mole next to Vatican City – a 2nd century Rome mausoleum for Hadrian – him of the wall. It was converted into a papal fortress and boasts beautiful 15th century frescos, fantastic views of Rome and my favourite a room with the hugest chest I have ever seen – one can only imagine it stuffed full of papal gold. Apparently there is a secret passageway that leads back to the Pope’s digs. Nowadays I guess he keeps his treasures in the Vatican or a Swiss bank account.

We passed through a metal detector and smiled at the museum staff with their Italian flag trainers to walk around the an exhibition at the Piazza del Tribunali – it was all in Italian so for us it was all in pictures.

We headed across the river to see the Mausoleo di Augusto – a mini version of Adrian’s Mole that you can’t yet go in and walk around and we stumbled across the Museo dell’Ara Pacis. It’s a beautiful marble and glass modern sort of building which houses the incredible Ara Pacis – an alter of peace constructed by the emperor Augustus. It’s quite extraordinary to think that the carvings of beautiful white marble are about 2000 years old.

On the way to see the Caravaggios at the church of Santa Maria Del Popolo we passed by three other churches and the delightful identical twin churches (spot the little differences) in the Piazza Del Popolo. The Piazza Del Popolo was a popular dropping off point for those on their Grand Tours of the C19th and that made us think of home and dinner.

Fancying a trip out I pack Mum up a little picnic and got her to meet me at Churchill College to have a look at the new exhibition of Graham Crowley’s work. We had great fun trying to ascertain what meanings lay behind the bold solid colours and the images of floating boats and reflected buildings.

I then persuaded Mum and Tim to lay the new kitchen floor for me! Well! It is my birthday soon!